Improvement in burial-caskets



A. mean.

BURIAL CASKET.

Patented Apri13,1877.

mrlsmos may.

NJ'PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. W ASHIHGTDN, D. C.

UNITED SrA'rEs 'ADOLPH FISCHER, on NEW YORK, 151. Y;

IMPROVEMENTINBURIAL-CASKETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No'. 189,208, dated April 3, 1877; application filed v v March 7, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADOLPH FISCHER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Burial-Gasket, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of a burial-casket containing my improvement. Fig.2 is a plan or top view thereof, showing part of the lid thrown open. Fig. 3 is van end view of the same, partly in section.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to certain improvements in burial-caskets; and consists in combining with the casket hinged extensions, which can be made to serve as supports for the casket, as will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing, the letter A designates the body of my casket, and B is its lid, both of which parts are made of a skeleton frame or casing. This frame or casing may be made of any selected shape or configuration, and it has a series of divisions, G, for the reception of plates 1), of glass or other appropriate material. When glass is used for filling out the divisions G of the frame, I prefer to use such as is secured 'to me by Letters Patent of the United States No. 124,562, dated March 12, 1872, and which-is made in imitation of marble; but, if desired, plain glass, either transparent or opaque, may be used. The lid B is made in two parts, as is common in burialcaskets, and the frame composing the part located near the upper end is filled with transparent-glass plates, so as to permit of viewing the corpse without removing the lid.

By using glass either alone or in conjunc tion with some other material for filling out the divisions G, I not only-obtain an air and water tight casket, and one which is, to the greatest possible extent, imperishable, but also permit of dispensing with a name-plate, inasmuch as any inscription, sentence, design, view, photograph, or other device can be executed on either side of the glass, and is as durable as the casket itself.

The glass or other plates D are secured in the divisions O by means of cement, or in any other suitable manner, so as to produce an air and water tight joint, each of said divisions 0 being provided with grooves to receive the edges of the plates, or with inwardly-projecting rims or flanges for the plates to rest 4 against. In some cases I interpose a strip of rubber or other packing material between the glass or other plates D and the frame.

To the bottom of the body A of the casket are hinged two standards, F F, which can be folded up under the body A, so as to occupy little or no space, or to be turned down to a vertical position, so as to form supports for the casket. These standards F F are connected to the casket by means of hinge-joints g g, which may be so constructed that the said standards are held in a vertical position by their means, or a suitable brace or braces may be combined with the standards for this purpose.

The lid B is hinged at one edge to the body A of the casket in the usual way, and from its opposite or free edge project a series of tubular knuckles, N. From one of the top edges of the body A project also a series of tubular knuckles, O, which are of similar diameter to the knuckles N. These knuckles N I O are arranged at such distances apart from each other that when the lid is shut the knuckles Nare received between the knuckles 0, while, moreover, the several knuckles N O coincide with each other, and if a rod is thereupon passed through the'knuckles the lid B is firmly locked in position.

The letter H designates a trough, which is fitted and placed in the body A of the casket, and whichis intended to receive the corpse. In the example shown this trough H is made of sheet metal; but it can also be made of glass, marble, hard rubber, impregnated wood, or any other imperishable material. The joints of the trough H are made water-tight, so that it is adapted to hold ice, and thus I avoid the use of a separate ice-box, and, if desired, the trough can be provided with a cock to allow the water resulting from the melting of the ice to run off, a cockof such a character being used that can be closed air and water tight.

0n the upper edge of the trough H is formed or secured a flange, I, to form a seat for a covering-plate, J, of glass or other appropriate material. Said flange H is provided with holes; so that the covering-plate J=-n1ay be secured thereto by means of screws or rivets k, and when the saidplate J is thus secured I interpose a strip of rubber or other material between it and the flange I, so as to make the trough H-airand watertight On the inner surface of the trough H, and near its top edge, is situated a rail or bar, L, which is secured to the trough insuch a way that the fabric used for trimming the casket can be fastened thereto, and hence I can dispense with nails or auyof the common-means for efiecting this object.

ADOLPH FISCHER: 11. s. Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBEB. 

